ABSTRACT
Nonverbal behavior is pivotal in this passage from Little Women, in which the author, Louisa May Alcott, describes Professor Friedrich Bhaer’s interpretation of Jo March’s vocal, facial, and bodily cues when they meet and she finds out that he has accepted a teaching position far away. In the book, all ends well with Jo and Friedrich marrying and successfully running a school for boys. Of course, an alternative ending would have been just as plausible, with Professor Bhaer walking away in frustration and never seeing Jo again. In real life, relationships sometimes suffer when people send nonverbal
cues, or misinterpret one another’s behaviors. Nonverbal communication is also a potent means for showing affection, expressing positive emotion, and otherwise maintaining satisfying relationships. Indeed, nonverbal communication is instrumental in the development and maintenance of personal relationships. Patterns of nonverbal communication during everyday interaction as well as conflict episodes also distinguish happy couples from distressed couples (see chaps. 5 and 8, this volume).
